Love & Lemons

Jeanine is the talented blogger behind Love and Lemons who had the chance to visit Japan this past summer. Following her blog is like being in her suitcase for a while.

Franky Grow

Do you like kids? That's not the problem because you are certainly going to love Franky Grow, instead. Dots and huge sense of fun is what I appreciate the most from this Japanese kids design brand. 
Suddenly I clearly understood: I don't need a baby, I just long for a Franky Grow!

To Start From One

It isn't easy at all to begin a new chapter of your life. When you turn that page the first line you have to write down on a new white sheet is the harder, even if writing is your job and you think you have always done it well.
It took 2 long months and many thoughts to finally convince me to open my blog again: I didn't leave it beacuse of negligence but because life, sometimes, makes you to bring into question and ask yourself about the direction you are walking through.

I must confess that the stormy days ain't over, but what I really need now is to find my own 'virtual' space here where to start afresh from 'One'. Here is a representative picture of my present state of mind 'stolen' directly from Kinfolk Magazine vol. 8. I will tell you about it on the next post I am going to write about this lovely issue regarding Japanese culture and customs.

I'd like to add a special thanks to Elisa. Thanks to her lovely blog, Wagashi Stories, I got the chance to win a precious gift at her giveaway straight from China! Being as lucky as I was convinced me at the right time that it was time to take my life (and my blog) back!

Noodle-bar Party

I've been busy enough to neglect my blog for weeks. In my defence I have to say that I'm passing through a very hard period of my life and I hope it will be better soon.

There are 2 things that cheer me up at this moment:
- a brand new experience I started last week: I'm the teacher of Japanese language for 4 great Italian students;
- this styling proget I found on Poppytalk >> a Noodle-bar party idea from Ideas Magazine (July 2013). Ceramics, newspaper sheets on the wall, colorful rice bowls and paper lanterns: I wonder whether I should decorate my own corner in this way...

Cantine Luoghi Incontri

"Cantine Luoghi Incontri" is a precious volume I jealously guard in my library. Published in 2012 by Antiga Edizioni it was cowritten by Marco Milan and Kumiko Yamada as a contemporary Grand Tour around wine, food and culture all in between Italy and Japan.

 
Supported by The Japan Foundation and Procaffè Spa, an espresso coffee roasting company located in my hometown, I finally got this book which, in effect, combines different Italian wine areas to likewise Japanese well-known traditional restaurants.
An example? A glass of sparkling white wine from the vineyard around Asolo (Asolo Prosecco Superiore DOCG) perfectly matches with an eel omelette (Umaki) cooked  at Izumoya, a specialized  in eel cusine restaurant in Chuo ward, Tokyo.


Pic © Moustaches

 

Yoriko Youda

To everyone loves lettering and illustrations. Seems to me that Yoriko Youda is having much fun playing with Hiragana!

Muji Purchases

I totally forgot to show you some items I got recently. The pictures not include a linen laundry box I have finally found at a well-furnished Muji shop, like the one in Rome is. My favourite treasure is the liquid glycerine soap. I chose the mandarin scent to remember the sweet sensation it gave me a same fragrance body cream I bought in Tokyo years ago.

P.S I can't wait to see the 2013/2014 Muji Life catalogue, actually.